


No Matter What

by CarolPeletier



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Baby Fic, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Mention of previous relationships, Minor Rick Grimes/Carol Peletier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:28:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27183140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarolPeletier/pseuds/CarolPeletier
Summary: Carol has loved and lost.  She's been hurt and left, and more recently, her world has been broken and turned upside.  Daryl Dixon is a man who keeps a promise, and when the world comes crashing down, he makes good on a promise to a friend and discovers love in the place he least expects it.
Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Carol Peletier
Comments: 5
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Walking Dead. All characters belong to the creators of the television series and graphic novels.

No Matter What

Chapter 1

The frantic squeak of rubber soles against the newly buffed tile floors stirred Carol from her sleepy stare at the nurse’s station computer. She looked up to see wide-eyed Beth, their newest nursing school graduate. 

“Beth? What’s wrong?”

“Dr. Mason, you’ve gotta come quick. It’s Mr. Johnson.” Carol pushed her chair back a little. Three hours ago, he’d come in ranting and raving and slightly drunk with a nasty bite mark on his arm. He’d claimed some guy drugged out of his mind had attacked him and then stumbled after him when he ran. After a couple of shots and strong topical antibiotics, Carol had decided to wait until he was sober to discharge him.

“Is it the bite?” Carol asked, pulling her stethoscope from her pocket as she took off around the station and toward Beth.

“No. No, I…I think he’s…” Beth choked back a sob, and Carol felt her stomach sink. “I think he’s _dead_ , Dr. Mason.” Carol froze for a moment, a split-second reaction to news that made zero sense. But before she could let the wheels start turning, she was taking off down the hall toward Room 6. “I went in to check on him, and he was…”

“Why didn’t you call a code blue?!” Carol snapped.

“I’m…I didn’t think…he was _blue_ , Dr. Mason!” Carol quickly hit the alarm the second she was in the room. Moments later, a Code Blue was paged out from the front desk. But Carol knew the moment she saw Mr. Johnson lying there, mouth open and eyes wide toward the ceiling that he was long gone. Still, she went through the motions, going through every procedure she needed to in order to say she did everything she could.

Moments later, the code team arrived, and Beth Green stayed back, practically hugging the wall as they worked to try to revive the man. After twenty minutes, Carol, panting and weary from administering CPR, called time of death at 4:37 in the morning.

A few months ago, a Friday night shift in the ER would have consisted of at least two dozen patients ranging from critical injuries to simple scrapes that shouldn’t have even needed a visit to the hospital. But that was Grady Memorial, a top-level trauma center. This was King County Memorial, forty-five minutes south west and rarely seeing anything worse than a burst appendix or a broken bone. Anything more severe was generally sent to Grady Memorial first, and if they just so happened to end up at King County, they were only there to wait for transfer to the next best thing. 

She might have only been an intern but Carol knew dying from a bite that barely bled at all was not normal, and that only meant one thing. An autopsy. 

“I’m so sorry, Dr. Mason,” Beth sniffled as the code team left. 

“It’s not your fault.”

“I checked on him ten minutes before, and he said he was cold. I went to get him a blanket, and…” 

“Why don’t you go get a cup of coffee?”

“But what about you?” Beth asked. Carol sighed heavily. Two of the three night-shift nurses had called in citing family emergencies that night. Being the newest intern, she was the one getting stuck with all the shit shifts, the current one included. Dr. Edwards was the on call attending, and he was currently either sleeping or hooking up with a nurse in an on-call room somewhere upstairs. He’d told her not to call him unless the place was on fire, and she wasn’t about to call him now. The emergency was over before she knew it had begun. 

“I’m fine. He was the last patient tonight. I’ll page if you anyone else comes in.” Carol eyed the other woman. “Really. Go take a break.” Beth looked down for a moment, and she wrung her hands together. 

“What about him?”

“I’ll finish his chart and call the morgue.” She nodded toward the door. “Go on.” Beth turned then, tears still welling in her eyes, and she hurried away. Carol let out a heavy breath and moved over to the bed, staring down at the pale, lifeless face of her patient. “We’ll find out what happened to you, Mr. Johnson.” 

She placed her hands on the backs of her hips and arched backward. Her spine gave a satisfying _crack_ , and she felt a little pressure ease away. She settled down on the stool by the computer and started typing in what she knew of Mr. Johnson’s sudden death. Minutes later, however, she felt a buzzing in her back pocket. There was only one person that would be calling her before five in the morning, and she wasn’t about to avoid his call.

“Daryl? Is everything ok?”

“Hey, Carol. Things at the hospital ok?”

“Why? What’s up?” she asked. She put him on speakerphone and put the phone down so she could keep typing.

“Lots of crazy shit going on tonight. Lots of folks callin’ about bein’ attacked. Just wanted to make sure things were ok.”

“It’s slow,” Carol murmured with a yawn. She glanced over her shoulder at Mr. Johnson’s corpse and looked back at the computer screen. “Slower than I’m used to, anyway.” 

“Alright. You sure you’re doin’ alright?”

“I’m fine, Daryl. _You’re_ the one chasing the bad guys. Worry about yourself.” She smiled sadly when she heard him huff out a sigh. 

“They wanna give me a new partner.” He cleared his throat, and Carol looked down at the floor. “Told ‘em I’d rather work alone, but they’re insisting. New guy. They want him trained right, and I don’t think I got it in me.” 

“God,” she whispered. “I know it’s the last thing you want, but I’d feel better knowing someone had your back when you’re out there.” She pressed her hand against her forehead when Daryl didn’t say anything else. “Especially with all this crazy stuff going on, you know? Please be careful.”

“You, too. They got you overworked and not enough folks to help. You alone tonight?”

“No, I’ve got a nurse.”

“ _A_ nurse? Just one.”

“The others called in.”

“Don’t overdo it.”

“Too late,” she sighed. 

“Want me to bring ya some food?”

“No,” she chuckled. “I’m fine. I really am, Daryl. I promise I’ll put my feet up as soon as I get home. I’m off the next three nights, so if I _promise_ I won’t leave the house, will you stop worrying?” Daryl sighed heavily, and she knew that was a no.

“You’re off at six?”

“Yeah,” she chuckled. “You, too?”

“Yeah. Hey, look, I’m gonna swing by and follow you home.”

“Daryl.”

“It’s a crazy night. I’ve heard and seen a lot of shit going on tonight. Just wanna make sure you get home ok.” 

“Alright,” she relented. She knew he was going to wait for her outside the ER anyway, so she might as well not even argue. “I have some charting to finish up.”

“Alright. How’s the kid?”

“Sleeping,” she laughed, placing a hand on the swell of her belly. “Resting up to keep me awake when I’m trying to sleep, I’m sure. I’m afraid working thirds is gonna mess up this baby’s sleep schedule.” Daryl snorted on the other line. Just then, she felt a hard kick. “Oh, I stand corrected. Ouch!”

“You ok?”

“Yeah. Someone’s awake.” She gently pressed her hand into the spot where the baby’s foot or knee was currently jammed into. 

“Alright. I’ll let ya finish up. I’ll be there soon, ok?”

“Ok,” Carol yawned. She chewed her lip for a moment. “I’ll see you.” She chewed her bottom lip for a moment as silence passed between them. She cleared her throat then and took a deep breath. “Ok. Bye.” She ended the call and tucked her phone back into her pocket. She leaned back a little, turning her head from side to side to stretch her neck. 

She was currently feeling every little bit of six months pregnant. While she wasn’t looking forward to delivery, she _was_ ready to get this pregnancy over with.

She reached up, slipping her fingers through her long, dark curls before continuing with her charting work. It wasn’t until she heard a raspy breath behind her that she turned from her seat.

“Beth, I thought you were taking a…” Her eyes went wide when she saw Mr. Johnson sitting up in bed, his back to her as he struggled to get up off of the bed. “Mr. Johnson!” She might never have seen a case like his before, but she knew a dead person when she saw one, and they’d worked long and hard on Mr. Johnson with no luck. This was either a miracle, or she just wasn’t cut out to be a doctor. “Mr. Johnson!” A heavy rasp escaped his lungs again as Carol rushed across the room and around the bed. But as she came up in front of him, she saw his eyes were almost all white, and his lips were pulled back in a grimace while an inhuman growl escaped through gnashing teeth.

Carol took two big steps back, and Mr. Johnson got to his feet, reaching for her, his hands swinging toward her violently as he lurched forward. 

“Mr. Johnson, you need to lay down! Mr. Johnson!” Carol found herself backed up against the wall when the cold hands tugged at her arm. She wrenched back, and he kept coming. It was as she was ducking out of the way to avoid being bitten that she heard voices coming up the hall. “Help!” She managed to get out from around him just as one of the two overnight security guards came rushing in the room. He was a good foot taller than Carol and probably about a hundred and fifty pounds heavier, but when Mr. Johnson advanced on him and he pushed back, he had trouble holding him back. 

Carol hit the alarm on the wall, and the grating screech that came from the speakers seemed to agitate Mr. Johnson further. Beth came rushing in, wide-eyed and panting. The moment she saw the scuffle, the coffee cup in her hand clattered to the ground, spilling hot liquid all over the white tile. 

“Beth! I need the Haloperidol!” Carol choked out as she nodded toward the medicine cabinet. Beth already had her badge in her hand and quickly worked to get the syringe while Carol met her to grab it. 

The security guard that Carol only knew as Tiny struggled, and when Mr. Johnson sunk his teeth into Tiny’s wrist, the man pulled back, blood spurting from his arm. 

“Aw, goddamn it!” Tiny cried out, using his elbow to push Mr. Johnson back into the wall. “Fucker took a chunk outta me!” Carol came up then, right up next to Mr. Johnson and stuck the needle into his arm. She pushed the meds in, but they did nothing to affect his aggression. Instead, he snapped at her, and she took a step back, slipping in coffee and going down. Her heart skipped a beat as she fell back onto the tile, hitting it hard on her ass and feeling everything move in slow motion for a minute. Moments later, Tiny let out a scream that Carol would surely never forget. Blood spurted from his lips as Mr. Johnson took a bite out of his neck.

“Oh my God!” Beth screamed, tugging on Carol’s arm to help her up. Carol wanted to help, wanted to take Mr. Johnson down somehow, but he had Tiny on the ground in moments, ripping flesh and tendons from his neck as Tiny went silent and still. 

Carol felt a sharp pain rip through her lower back, and she groaned in pain, struggling to stand. Beth moved toward Tiny and Mr. Johnson, grabbing the back of Mr. Johnson’s hospital gown.

“Beth! No!” Carol screamed out. “Stop!” Beth tugged until he toppled back, falling over her and pinning her to the ground. Carol scrambled to her feet, wide-eyed with horror as Beth’s light-blonde hair soaked red with blood. Carol watched helplessly, frozen in fear as Beth went limp and her screams muted to gargled, sputtering gasps. 

Beth’s blood pooled out, making the floor slick, and Carol kept her back against the wall as she maneuvered around the pool and out into the hall. Just as she fled the room, she could hear those same rasping gasps rising from Tiny’s lifeless body.

Three orderlies from upstairs and the other security guard went running past her, and she was certain she called out for them to keep running, but the air burned her lungs, and the fear kept her feet moving. It wasn’t until she turned the corner that she heard gunshots followed by more screams.

Everything was spinning when she made it to the locker room. The sirens blared louder in there. She covered her ears and collapsed against the side of a locker, leaning into it heavily and diving into her pockets for her phone.

Her screen was cracked from the fall, and she tried desperately to pull up her contact list. She managed to get the screen to come up and quickly called Daryl. 

There was a lot of static as the phone rang, and when the line went silent, she was sure she lost service. And then she heard his voice.

“H-lo?” The sound was broken but there. “—rol?” 

“Daryl!” Her voice was strangled and hoarse, and she wondered if he could even hear her over the alarms. “Daryl, something happened! I don’t know how to—”

“Carol?! Carol, I can’t hear ya. What’s goin’ on?”

“Daryl!” she cried out, louder this time. And then the line went quiet. “Shit! No! Daryl!” She tried calling him again, and this time her service was out. “Fuck!” She put her phone back in her pocket and took a deep breath. Her skin was sticky under her scrub top. She wasn’t sure if it was Tiny’s blood or Beth’s or Mr. Johnson’s or her own. The last few minutes now felt like a blur, and it took a moment for her brain to register the silence with the alarms suddenly cut off. When the sound of gunfire echoed down the corridor toward the locker room, Carol jumped and pushed back against the locker. Her lungs ached with each heavy breath, and when she heard those horrible rasping snarls coming closer, she felt her heart kick up a notch or two.

The sound of fingernails scratching and breaking against the heavy wooden door grated on her nerves like nails on a chalkboard. She could see feet shuffling at the bottom of the door, breaking the light as someone tried to get in. The door began to give, and Carol moved quickly, rushing across the room and grabbing the closest thing she could find—a mop on the janitor’s cart—to stick through the door handle to keep it from opening. It wouldn’t hold for long, she was certain, but it gave her some time to figure out how the hell to get out.

She tried the windows first, but they were too high for privacy reasons. All of the benches were bolted to the floors, so there was no standing on anything to try to pry the lock on the window. The heavy, clumsy thumps against the door grew more insistent when she knocked over a bucket of mop water, causing a ruckus and sending water everywhere. 

The snarls got louder, and Carol slammed her hand against the door in frustration.

“Go away!” she screamed. Of course, this did nothing to deter her assailant, and when she looked down at the puddle of water spreading out under the door, she noticed blood swirling into it from the other side. “Help! Please help me!” Her voice broke, and her shoulders shook. And as gunshots started popping off out in the hallway, she stepped back to the furthest corner of the room and squeezed herself down on the floor between the wall and the last locker. 

“Get down!” she heard a voice scream outside. Her shaking hands moved to her ears, and she curled up, squeezing her eyes shut and praying it would be over soon. More gunfire tore through the air. The snarling continued, and the clatter of the broom handle was Carol’s undoing. She let out a terrified scream as Mr. Johnson came staggering into the locker room, riddled with bullet wounds, jaws bloody and snapping as he came right at her. 

All she could think of as he came at her was that baby, so safe and warm inside of her, unaware of the horror that was about to befall them both. She wanted to fight, but she was frozen in fear, cowering on the dirty locker room floor. It wasn’t until she crossed her arms in front of her face that she heard the next gunshot ring out. The snarls stopped, and she looked up just in time to see Mr. Johnson fall forward, a gaping wound in the back of his head. 

“Jesus,” a voice echoed through the hall. “You ok?” She looked up, blinking a few times to focus. Finally, she saw his face, and she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. 

“Daryl,” she choked out. “Mr. Johnson was dead. He…”

“I know. Hey, it’s ok. It ain’t just here. Shit’s happenin’ all over town.”

“Beth. My nurse…and the security guard…they’re like him, too?”

“I don’t know,” Daryl admitted. “Heard you screamin’ and came runnin’. You hurt? He hurt you?” He leaned down and reached for her hand. She took it and let him pull her up. “Christ, you’re covered in blood.”

“It’s not mine. I don’t…I don’t think it’s mine.” She didn’t feel hurt. Her back hurt from her fall earlier, and the cold fear that the baby might be hurt was running rampant through her veins. Still, Daryl held her arm up and then the other, looking her over until he was satisfied she wasn’t hurt. 

“You’re ok.” His words were barely a whisper, but relief flooded his face. “You’re ok.” Carol’s lower lip trembled, and she shook her head. “It’s alright. Hey. Look at me.” She was shaking, but she looked him right in the eye. “We’re gonna be ok. We been through too much already to stop now.” Carol nodded her head and sniffled. “C’mere.” He pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her in a protective embrace. His hand gently stroked the back of her head, and she trembled against him and took in deep, gasping breaths. “C’mon.” He eased out of the embrace and brought his hand up to her cheek, sweeping away a tear with his thumb. “Let’s go get you cleaned up.”

*~*~*~*~*~*

Daryl glanced into the backseat of his police cruiser. She was buckled in with her head leaning forward, forehead pressed against the window. She was awake, he could tell, but she was weary and exhausted. Every few minutes or so, she’d let out a soft gasp, and he wasn’t sure if she was in pain or just in shock, but by the fifth one, he turned his lights and siren on and sped off past traffic as fast as he felt comfortable going with a pregnant woman in tow.

He could still hear her screaming in that locker room, and it took him back to a night months ago when he’d found her crumpled up on the bedroom floor, wailing and clutching her stomach in agony. _Dehydration_ , the doctor had said. _Baby’s gonna be fine._ _Mama just needs to take care of herself_. 

“How you doin’ back there?” he finally asked, glancing in the mirror. Carol lifted her head and met his gaze in the reflection.

“What’s happening out there?” she asked quietly. 

“I don’t know, but I’m gonna get you outta here for a few days. Just ‘til things calm down. Whatever that was back there is goin’ on other places.”

“You saw Beth and…and Tiny. They were _dead_ , Daryl. Mr. Johnson killed them, and then…” 

“That wasn’t them,” Daryl said quietly. He could still feel the cold dread that went up his spine when they’d walked past that room in the ER to find the bloodied, chewed up corpses of both the nurse and the security guard dragging themselves along the tile, snarling and snapping their jaws like Mr. Johnson had been. 

“I’ve never seen anything like it. I should be there. I need to help.” She leaned forward then, groaning softly and clutching her belly.

“Carol? What is it? Is it the baby?”

“No. I don’t know. It felt like a cramp.”

“A cramp? Like a contraction?”

“I don’t…I don’t know.” She took a deep breath, and she winced in pain. “I fell.” Daryl stepped on the gas. “Daryl, slow _down!_ ” 

“I’m gettin’ you someplace safe to rest. Hospital ain’t safe. Gonna get you home, help you pack up what you need, and then we’re gettin’ the hell outta here. Alright?” Arguing would have been pointless, especially when they turned a corner to find an entire row of houses engulfed in flames. Helicopters were flying overhead shining beams of light down over the crowds gathered outside. Whatever was going on, they needed to get as far away from it as possible.

Carol was quiet the rest of the drive back to Rose Street. When he turned down the street, he turned the sirens and the lights off, and as he pulled into the drive, he could see the neighbors on either side packing up their vehicles. 

He got out first and came around to open the door for Carol. He offered her his hand, and she took it gratefully, groaning when she stood up to look him in the eye.

“Ten minutes. We’ll grab what we can, and then we’re out of here.” Carol opened her mouth to speak but closed it right back. She gave his hand a squeeze before letting go, and then they both climbed the small set of steps up to the porch. Daryl reached under the flower pot by the porch swing when Carol couldn’t find her keys, and he grabbed the spare. Once inside, he flipped the lights on, and Carol swayed a little, leaning back against the wall. “Whoa. Hey. Ok, I want ya to wait here. What do you want me to grab?”

“How long are we going to be gone?”

“Don’t know. Long as it takes for this shit to clear up. I’ll call the station in the morning, see what’s goin’ on. You and the baby are my priority, alright?”

“Daryl…”

“Just…tell me what ya want me to grab. I’ll get it. Anything.” Carol swallowed hard and she took a deep breath. 

“I have a hospital bag packed. It’s been packed for a month. I know it’s early, but I wanted to be ready for anything. It has three changes of clothes and some things for the baby. It’s on the floor in my bedroom closet.”

“Good,” Daryl said with a nod. “What else?”

“I don’t…” She cleared her throat and shook her head. “There’s a box under the bed. An old shoe box. Pictures and things. It’s silly, I know, but…”

“I’ll get it. You wait here.” He started for the back of the house, and Carol looked around the living room. It was sparsely decorated. She’d moved in just two months ago and hadn’t been home that much. The only room that _was_ fully decorated was the nursery. She’d spent all of her energy on her days off getting ready for the baby, because preparing for him or her kept her mind off of everything else falling apart around her.

The baby kicked as if on cue, and Carol gave her belly a little rub. She ignored Daryl’s orders to stay put and padded down the hall to the nursery. She flipped on the light, and a cheery nursery with sea green walls and jungle animal decals beamed back at her like a dead man hadn’t just killed people and tried to eat her. 

“Hey, what’re you doin’?” Daryl asked quietly, stepping into the nursery behind Carol.

“I only have the one picture of us,” she said softly, nodding to the frame hanging on the wall by the crib. It was a framed picture taken a week after that stick turned blue and two weeks before that deputy showed up on her doorstep to deliver another blow that would change her life forever. “I want him to know his dad.” She reached up, gently plucking the wooden frame off of the nail it hung on. Two people, smiling and happy paused atop a Ferris wheel stared back in that picture with no idea of the fate that would befall them. 

“That’s the day he bought the ring,” Daryl said quietly, motioning toward Carol’s hand where a small but lovely engagement ring still rested on her ring finger. “He was scared you were gonna say no. He thought you’d say it was too soon.”

“I did say that,” she said with a sad smile. “It _was_ too soon. And I told him he was crazy.” 

“Yeah,” Daryl said quietly. “But you know Rick. When he knew, he knew.” Carol looked down at the photo and shook her head. 

“It _was_ too soon. If I hadn’t gotten pregnant, he never would’ve asked me.” She sniffled and offered a sad smile in Daryl’s direction. Daryl swallowed hard, uncertain how to comfort her. Lie to her? Reassure her? But, she didn’t give him a chance to ponder that for long. “This is silly,” she sighed, reaching up to hang the picture back up. “We’ll be home in a few days.” Daryl reached up to stop her from hanging the picture again. She turned her face toward his, and she saw the doubt in his eyes.

“You best bring it. Just in case.” Carol’s hand shook as Daryl’s gently closed around her wrist. His blue eyes met hers, and his voice went soft. “Rick was my best friend. I stood by his grave and made a promise I’d take care’a you and this baby no matter what. I ain’t aimin’ to break that promise. We stay away as long as it takes. I ain’t gonna let nothin’ happen to you. I ain’t breakin’ that promise either.” 

_Author’s Note: OK, guys. I’m really, really nervous about posting this one. I know things are slow in the fandom right now, but I’ve been feeling extremely unmotivated and disheartened. I have big plans for this, so I hope you all like it. If you do, please let me know! Feedback is absolutely appreciated and encouraged. Thank you!_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _Maybe it was shock. Maybe it hadn’t really hit her yet. She’d heard the words and looked into the sad, sympathetic eyes of the young officer who’d shown up on her doorstep to tell her that the man she was set to marry—the father of her child—was killed in the line of duty. And the man saying those words wasn’t his partner. It wasn’t his best friend. It was a stranger, and the first words out of Carol’s mouth had been_ “where’s Daryl?” 

_It's touch and go, he’d said, but he was in surgery and expected to make it. Threw himself over his best friend to shield him, not knowing he’d died instantly._

_Carol wasted no time. She grabbed her jacket and keys and left the man standing on her porch. She barely felt the hot tears stinging her face. She barely felt the burn in her lungs as she held her breath and waited for something to shake her from the nightmare she’d found herself lost in._

_She was halfway to the hospital when she realized the officer was following her, a gesture of kindness, another officer looking out for a fallen officer’s family. It would have been touching if she’d been able to feel anything other than numb._

_She’d stood at the front desk, and they’d refused to tell her anything. It wasn’t until they pulled Daryl’s file to find Carol and Rick’s names listed as emergency contacts that they gave a little and gifted her with an update._

_He was alive. He lost a lot of blood, but he survived. They were hailing him a hero. He_ was _a hero. Carol knew he was gonna hate that. He’d hate it with everything in him, because all Daryl ever did was look out for the people he loved. It was what he did. It was who he was._

_She was still numb when she sat down at his bedside, seeing this once strong man so pale and fragile with tubes coming out of him. Bullet grazed his lung, and he’d nearly bled out. There was some swelling around his spine, and it was fifty-fifty if he’d walk again. But he’d walk. She knew it. It was Daryl._

_“They said he’s gone,” she’d whispered at his bedside, placing her hand into his. There was dried blood around his cuticles, and she wondered if it was his or Rick’s. “They told me what you did. How you tried.” She bowed her head and took a shaking breath. “You have to hang in there, ok? We can’t lose you. Rick would want you to fight, so you have to fight, ok? You can’t give up. Please, Daryl. Please, don’t give up.” That was the moment the grief hit her, and the numbness gave way to gasping, choking sobs. Rick was dead. Daryl was lying in a hospital bed fighting to survive. She was pregnant. And she was so very, very alone._

*~*~*~*~*~

Carol had counted thirty-seven emergency vehicles so far on the highway leading out of town. Most of them were heading to the Interstate, toward Atlanta. And as they darted out onto the unusually crowded road, an eerie orange glow filled the night sky over King County and off toward Atlanta. 

Thirty-eight. Thirty-nine.

“Where are we going?” Carol asked, glancing over at Daryl who was desperately trying to get through to any of his fellow officers over the radio. Static. Minutes ago, someone had responded with a guttural scream. The tearing, squelching sounds would stay with them both for a long time. 

“Got a cabin ‘bout another twenty miles from here. It’s far enough away from the city. Don’t know how far this reaches, but the closest neighbor is ten miles down the road It ain’t nothin’ fancy, but I fixed it up some over the last few years. Rent it out some weekends to folks who just wanna come out to the lake for some peace and quiet. Nobody’s out there right now. It’ll be safe and quiet.” He chewed the inside of his lip and glanced in the rear-view mirror to see her wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, Daryl. He was dead. He was. I’ve called time of death a hundred times before, and this was…” She shook her head. “This was what that was. He was dead. I _know_ he was.”

“Try not to think about it.”

“How?” she choked out. “He came after me. And he killed…”

“Probably hopped up on drugs or somethin’,” Daryl insisted, his jaw clenching as his hands white-knuckled the steering wheel. After what they’d just heard on the radio, after what they’d seen at the hospital, it was clear this was something else entirely, but it sounded somewhat hopeful, like for a moment the world wasn’t going crazy around them and things would be back to normal in two or three days. 

“He was fine when he came in. Well, not fine. He was shaken up because somebody attacked him. He was a little drunk. But he wasn’t…he wasn’t like _that_. He died, Daryl. I don’t know how to explain that.” She winced again, and Daryl checked on her through the mirror again.

“You still havin’ pain?”

“No. No, I think the baby’s just worked up.” She placed her trembling hand against her stomach. The bloodied scrub-top she’d peeled off of her sticky skin was draped over the bathtub, a mess waiting for her to clean up if—when—she got back home. At least she’d managed to clean herself up a little before they left.

“You figured out a name yet?” Carol met his gaze in the rearview mirror. She knew he was just trying to distract her from thinking about the horrific things she’d just witnessed. While those images were seared into the forefront of her memory, she appreciated the attempt. 

“When I was young, I knew _exactly_ what I was going to name my kids. Now? None of those names sound good. After all, I’m only naming a human being who’ll carry that name around with them for the rest of their life. No biggie.” Daryl smirked and flashed his baby blues back up to look at her in the mirror. The faintest haze of morning was beginning to creep over the land around them. Sunrise wouldn’t be for at least another hour, but it was slowly becoming easier to see. “I like Luke for a boy. Sophie or Sophia for a girl.” She chewed her lip for a moment.

“What about Rick?” Daryl offered.

“Oh no,” Carol chuckled. “That’s one thing we _did_ agree on. He didn’t want his kid being called Junior all of his life. And I figured there wasn’t enough room in the entire state of Georgia for two Rick Grimes.” 

“You got a point,” Daryl smirked. “He was excited to be a dad, though. Scared shitless, but excited.” Carol smiled sadly and felt the baby kick again. 

“I never saw a guy plan so fast. The second he found out I was pregnant, he was already ordering furniture and toys. I think he was in shock.” She let out a laugh. “He ordered all these books online. He was determined he was going to be there for me every step of the pregnancy. Every swollen ankle, every mood swing, every ache and pain.” Her nostalgic smile faded. The books arrived in the mail two days after they put him in the ground. They were still sitting on the dining room table in the shipping boxes just collecting dust.

Daryl swerved sharply as another car cut in front of him with no warning. He slammed on the brakes, narrowly avoiding being hit by the car in the other lane. Carol gasped, bracing herself against the seat, and Daryl eased back out into traffic.

“You alright?”

“Yeah. I’m ok. How much longer?”

“Turn’s ahead,” he promised. As soon as they hit the exit, Daryl relaxed a little. The street lights were out, an eerie fog settled across the road as they drove past a thick forest of pine trees.

“Is this the place Rick was helping you fix up?”

“Yeah. Place is pretty much finished. Got lots of campin’ stuff out there, though. Needed a place to store it all when I moved into that apartment downtown. You know that freeze dried shit and the pre-packaged food they feed soldiers? Got a lot of that stuff. It’s got a good shelf life, and it's good to take out huntin’.”

“Sounds like you’re prepared for anything,” Carol quipped. “Any chance you’ve got a doctor stashed out there who can deliver a baby?”

“Stop. You don’t gotta worry about that stuff right now. This stuff is gonna blow over. Bet by sunup, we’ll start seein’ military choppers. They’ll get shit settled down, and a month from now, things’ll be back to normal.”

“A month?” Carol asked. Daryl glanced at her in the rear-view mirror, and he cleared his throat. The reflectors on the mailbox distracted him, however, and he slowed the car down.

“We’re here.” He turned down a dirt drive, and it was too dark to see much of anything. There were big pine trees looming on either side of the car, and about a quarter mile down the way, Carol could see the reflection of the headlights in a windowpane. 

Carol hadn’t exactly been expecting a tiny wooden shack out in the middle of the woods, but she definitely hadn’t expected the quaint log cabin with a tall, stone chimney and a porch that ran across the whole front of the house. It was well-kept, and Carol was pretty sure if she owned the place, she’d live out there all the time, commute be damned.

She was the first one out of the car, and when Daryl heard her open the door, he made quick work of getting out and coming around to stand next to her. He looked around as if expecting someone or something to come stalking out of the woods.

“It’s so quiet out here,” she murmured. While she couldn’t see the lake through the fog, she could hear the water lapping at the shore, and it was surprisingly soothing. Her heart wasn’t racing any longer, but she was trembling from the cool breeze coming up off the lake. 

“C’mon. Let’s get inside. Looks like we got power,” he reasoned, nodding toward the shed around the side of the house. A single light was fixed over the door, and while the light was dim and in need of replacing, it was definitely on. 

She followed him up the porch steps, and in moments, he had the door opened, and the stale air hit them both in the face. 

“Ain’t really had many folks out here lately,” he admitted. “Place is probably in need of dustin’, but we got food and water, and we got a place to sleep. Only one bedroom, so I’ll take the couch.”

“It’s your house,” Carol protested.

“And the couch suits me just fine,” he assured her. He flipped a switch on the wall, and the overhead light came on. The dark fireplace against the wall had a door on each side. The living room was small, and the furniture was all angled toward the fireplace where a TV was mounted over the mantle. Just off from the living room was a small but efficient kitchen with an island and two bar stools placed in front of it. The kitchen was modern, while the living room was rustic and woodsy. In any other home, it might have clashed, but in this cozy cabin, it felt nice. It felt safe. It was a place to rest and wait for the world to stop spinning out of control.

“Bedroom’s on the right. Bathroom’s on the left.” He nodded toward the doors on each side of the fireplace, and Carol nodded tiredly. “You’re asleep on your feet. Why don’t ya get yourself cleaned up while we still got hot water, and I’ll make ya somethin’ to eat so ya don’t go to sleep hungry.”

“I couldn’t eat if I tried,” Carol admitted.

“What about the baby?”

“If I eat now, I’ll throw up, and that’s not gonna help either of us,” Carol pointed out. “I just want to clean up and go to bed.” 

“A’right. Get some rest. I’ll crash in here, and when we’re both feelin’ up to it, we’ll get some breakfast ‘fore I head out.”

“Head out? You’re leaving?” Carol asked, throat tight and eyes wide.

“Gonna head to the station, see if there’s any news. Might pick up some more supplies. Never can have too much, right?”

“Maybe…maybe we should listen to the radio for a little while. Maybe we can pick something up and find out what’s happening.”

“Ain’t gonna get much of a signal out here, but feel free to try. Got a radio by the bed in there. Batteries ought to be alright. I’ll mess with it while you’re in the bathroom.” Carol nodded tiredly, and she turned toward the bathroom door. Before she went in, she turned and looked at Daryl who was fixing to go out and get the things they’d brought along. 

“Daryl?” He turned then, peering at her from the doorway. “Thanks for being there. It means a lot.” Daryl nodded and looked her in the eye.

“I’m gonna do whatever I can to keep you and that baby safe. I meant what I said.”

“I know you did,” she said with a sniffle. “I’m glad you’re here.” Daryl swallowed hard and nodded his head, and Carol brushed a stray tear away before turning and retreating to the bathroom.

*~*~*~*~*~*

The warm water on her skin felt like heaven. Her body ached from the fall, and her lower back was starting to throb. The sticky, dry blood caked to her belly had sloughed off in the wash, and the water was now a horrible, brownish pink color. She tried to ignore it and focus on the little kicks and nudges from the baby, a reassuring sign that the fall hadn’t done any harm. She hoped. 

She thought back over the last year of her life. If she’d known a year ago that she’d be pregnant, her baby’s father would be dead, and she’d be washing blood off in Daryl Dixon’s bathroom while they hid out from people coming back from the dead, she would have probably turned tail and escaped to some remote area of the desert to avoid human contact of any kind.

But then she wouldn’t have Daryl, and if it hadn’t been for Daryl, she would have lost her mind months ago.

A year ago, she’d been on the heels of a nasty breakup. She’d been struggling with her internship at Grady Memorial and the fast-paced drive of it all. Her ex, Ed Peletier, had started emotionally manipulative about all the time she spent at the hospital. The night he put his hands on her was the last straw. She’d moved out and never looked back.

She’d been minding her own business at work a few weeks later when Rick Grimes came into the ER with an injured suspect in handcuffs. The guy needed medical treatment before being locked up, and Carol just happened to be the only available doctor.

Rick had insisted on being in the room the entire time, insisting that while the suspect didn’t look like a problem, he most certainly would be if given the chance. So, they’d talked, he’d flirted, and Carol had just rolled her eyes, because a relationship was the last thing she wanted or needed just then after what happened with Ed. Still, Rick had a certain charm about him, and two hours later when he was hauling the suspect back out to the police cruiser, he had Carol’s phone number safely tucked away in his pocket.

They’d gone out for coffee a week later, and the rest was history. 

Carol had met Daryl about a month after she started dating Rick, and she’d felt a little guilty for finding him attractive. He _was_ an attractive man, after all, and he was quiet and a little shy. He was sweet, and the first time she’d met him, he’d even blushed when she smiled at him. But she was with Rick, and he was Rick’s best friend and partner on the police force, and she really _did_ care about Rick. 

The longer she and Rick dated, the more she got to know Daryl, and one thing she knew about him with absolute certainty was that he was a good man who would do anything for the people he cared about. And the more she got to know him, the more she appreciated his presence in their lives. She was so grateful to still have him in her life. Especially since the world seemed to be falling apart around them. Whatever happened next, she was so glad she wasn’t alone.

She closed her eyes and sunk a little deeper into the bath, and she must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew, she heard the hollow rap of knuckles on the wooden door.

“Carol? You ok?” Carol sat up quickly, water sloshing over the edge of the tub. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m ok. I’ll be out in a minute.” She steadied herself, pulled herself up and out of the tub, using the towel on the floor to sop up the water that had spilled out. She threw on some comfortable clothes and ran a brush through her hair before returning to the living room.

Daryl was sitting on the couch with the radio in front of his on the coffee table. She glanced up at her when she came walking out.

“Thought maybe ya fell asleep in there,” he noted.

“I might have,” she offered with a tired smile. “Any luck?” She glanced at the radio as he fidgeted with the dials. 

“Not much. Heard enough to know it ain’t just here. Guess they got reports of it goin’ down in D.C. and Orlando.”

“What is it, Daryl? Some airborne virus, or…?”

“Dunno. If it was, don’t ya think we’d have it by now? Seems like it’s just the dead, but we can’t be too careful.”

“You’re not going out,” Carol said matter-of-factly. “I say we lay low a few days before we decide anything.” Daryl opened his mouth to say something, but a distant boom caught them both off guard. Carol got up and tore over to the window with Daryl right behind her. The night sky toward Atlanta glowed brighter for a moment before fading out like a flame in a windstorm. Carol looked to Daryl and he to her, and that was when the electricity went out, bathing them both in darkness as another round of explosions shook the windowpanes and left them both wondering just how long this place would be safe.

_Author’s note: Thank you guys so much for the response to Chapter 1! Please, please let me know what you think. I promise, your feedback is so very much appreciated and encouraged. I hope you’ll continue to enjoy and let me know your feelings on each chapter. Thanks again, guys!_


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